Windblown
The Windblown is a sellsword company active in Essos. Their name is "the Windblown" because they say the wind blows them around from one city to the next in Essos, looking for employers who will contract them to fight."Sellswords & Hedge Knights (Histories & Lore)" In the books In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Windblown are introduced on "A Dance with Dragons". They were founded about thirty years ago by a newly elected prince from Pentos, known only as the Tattered Prince (due to his habit of taking strips of cloth from the surcoats of men he has killed in personal combat, then adding them to his motley cloak). He is an elegant and dignified old man who is nonetheless ruthless to deserters. When he was 23 years old, the magisters selected him as the new Prince of Pentos after beheading the last prince for failure. Rather than accept the honor - a dangerous position as a glorified scapegoat - he ran to the Disputed Lands to become a sellsword, and never returned. Over time he established his own sellsword company. Because the Windblown include members from all over the world, including Westerosi exiles, the only common language they can use is High Valyrian, which the Tattered Prince shouts out commands in to his men. The members of the Windblown use what names they would, and change them at a whim. On the fifth novel, the Windblown company is hired by the Yunkai Wise Masters for their campaign against Astapor and Daenerys. The sellswords grow to despise the Yunkai lords and take delight in inventing ridicluous nicknames for them (for instance, they call Yezzan "the yellow whale"), and mocking them at every opportunity, though not to their faces. Following the fall of Astapor, the Tattered Prince has second thoughts about serving the incompetent Yunkai lords. He decides to keep all roads open, to make sure the Windblown are on the winning side, no matter who that shall be. Therefore, he sends about twenty of his sellswords to Meereen, where they bring Daenerys his offer of alliance: the Windblown will fight for her in exchange for Pentos. Daenerys rejects the offer because she wouldn't betray her friend Illyrio, no matter how poor her position is. Shortly before marching out of Meereen to attack the besieging troops, Ser Barristan Selmy sends the Windblown back to the Tattered Prince with a counter-offer: if he rescues the three hostages, whom Daenerys delivered the Yunkai'i and are still held captive (Daario, the bloodrider Jhogo and Hero the Unsullied) - he will get Pentos in return. During the ensuing battle, the Windblown indeed switch sides, and the Tattered Prince kills the Yunkish lord Gorzhak zo Eraz (known as "Pudding Face"), who was temporarly the Supreme Commander of the besieging troops. That prompts the Second Sons to switch sides too. The fate of the hostages is unknown, though. Known members * The Tattered Prince, captain and founder * Caggo the Corpsekiller, the Tattered Prince's right hand * Denzo D'han the warrior bard, the Tattered Prince's left hand * "Pretty" Meris, the company torturer * Dick Straw, Westerosi sellsword * Wil of the Woods, Westerosi sellsword * Webber * Beans, Myrish crossbowman, technically known as "Baqq" * Books, Volantene swordsman and avid reader * Old Bill Bone, from the Summer Islands * Hugh Hungerford, serjeant, former company paymaster * Ser Orson Stone, Westerosi sellsword * Ser Lucifer Long, Westerosi sellsword * Ginger Jack, Westerosi sellsword * Myrio Myrakis, Pentoshi sellsword * Lewis Lanster, Westerosi archer * Glack Gerrold See also * References ru:Гонимые ветром nl:Windzwervers Category:Organizations Category:Military organizations Category:Mercenaries